iPhone Duo delivery dates slip to January within minutes of pre-orders
Delivery dates for Apple's first folding iPhone slipped within minutes of pre-orders opening Friday morning, AppleInsider, Macworld and MacRumors reported. About half an hour in, Apple's U.S. store was quoting Jan. 25 for new orders, Macworld and MacRumors said. People who ordered right away should get the phone on Oct. 23, MacRumors said.
Delivery estimates for Apple's iPhone Duo, its first folding iPhone, slipped by weeks and then months within minutes of pre-orders opening at 8 a.m. ET Friday, AppleInsider, Macworld and MacRumors reported.
In the first moments, Apple's estimates moved to Nov. 16 and then to Nov. 23 for all configurations, AppleInsider reported.
Macworld, which tracked Apple's store in a live blog, saw estimates move into December. About half an hour after pre-orders began, all models were quoting Jan. 25, 2027, Macworld reported, calling it "the furthest we've ever seen iPhone pre-orders slip." MacRumors listed Jan. 25 for every color and storage size in Apple's U.S. online store. These are Apple's estimates, and orders will probably ship sooner as Apple ramps up production, Macworld said.
Customers who ordered right when pre-orders began will get their phones on Friday, Oct. 23, MacRumors reported. In the U.K., shipping for one model had slipped to Dec. 14-21, Macworld said.
Ordering did not go smoothly at first. Apple's online store opened its pre-order page at 8:07 a.m. ET, and the Apple Store app was still down, Macworld reported. Before that, Apple showed a new message telling buyers, "Please stay on this page until we can bring you in for pre-order," Macworld said.
The phone starts at $1,999 for 256GB and goes up to $3,199 for 2TB, Macworld reported.
Apple does not say how many phones it had ready on day one, AppleInsider noted. It is believed that Apple made fewer iPhone Duos than usual, possibly because of reported manufacturing delays with the complex new design, AppleInsider said. MacRumors cited Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who said supply would be limited.
Buyers may still find some phones in stores. AppleInsider said stores will have at least some stock on Oct. 23, and Macworld said Apple's site told shoppers to "Check back for availability on 10.24," which likely means stores will get limited stock each day.
What we know: Apple's delivery estimates for new iPhone Duo orders slid to Jan. 25 within about half an hour of pre-orders opening.
What we don't: How many phones Apple had ready, and how fast delivery dates will improve.
Where outlets agree AppleInsider, Macworld and MacRumors all report that iPhone Duo delivery dates slipped well past the Oct. 23 launch within minutes of pre-orders opening.
Where they differ The outlets cited here report the same key facts so far.